zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Beyond Cars
/
Zero Is In This For The Long Haul
Zero Is In This For The Long Haul-October 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:14:01

Image for article titled Zero Is In This For The Long Haul

Zero introduced , the slick-looking SR/S, with up to 201 miles of range. At a launch event in New York City, the biggest vibe I got was that the company is all in on what it thinks is the future.

The SR/S will be Zero’s sixth model on offer and, the company says, intended for daily commuters or weekend warriors with a range of 82 miles on the highway on the base model, or 102 miles with the upgraded Power Tank.

For those who are married to their Harleys, that won’t seem like much, but that isn’t really Zero’s market, either. Based in California, Zeros are trying to attract a younger audience, one for whom the roar of a motorcycle isn’t an aphrodisiac, it’s just annoying, an audience for whom ethical consumption is an actual thing, and an audience who appreciates the technology Zero puts on its bikes, like a function to track your ride on a map and “relive it” after the fact.

It’s hard to say if it’s working since Zero doesn’t release sales numbers, but a last April—bringing the total capital it’s raised to $250 million—suggests that the company will stick around for some time. It has also been at this for over a decade now, or more than enough time to make mistakes and learn from them. Perhaps enough to even endure, given .

That has also been enough time, at any rate, to finally generate the interest of people with too much time on their hands.

“For the first time in the run-up to this bike we had spy photos taken around our office,” Sam Paschel, Zero’s CEO, said Wednesday. “We have people crawling through servers looking for data ... The need for secrecy has stepped up.”

The SR/S starts at $19,995, and has fairing that both marginally increases the bike’s range and, Zero says, makes it look more “elevated,” or classier, compared to its naked offerings. That’s a lot of money for any motorcycle, but that’s still nearly $10,000 less than what Harley’s LiveWire starts at.

While I remain skeptical that a market for expensive electric motorcycles actually exists, Zero has, unlike Harley so far, hedged their bets with a wider range of electric bikes, including the FX, which starts at a more manageable $8,995. That’s also not to mention that I would certainly trust Zero more on the tech. Or at least more than Harley, which was, until the LiveWire, the least innovative motorcycle maker in the world, and by some distance.

And if you’re still stuck on the range, then an electric motorcycle just may not be for you. I asked Zero’s Chief Technology Officer if aerodynamic drawbacks on motorcycles would always be an inherent problem, but he said the company was more than satisfied with the SR/S’s range.

“We don’t struggle with range,” Abe Askenazi, the CTO, said. “I don’t think aerodynamics for range was the thing.”

Instead, the company wanted to just make a good bike that rides well. We’ll see if that’s enough.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Beyond Cars
Harley-Davidson Wants To Make Self-Balancing Motorcycles By Putting A Gyroscope In Your Top Case
Harley-Davidson Wants To Make Self-Balancing Motorcycles By Putting A Gyroscope In Your Top Case
Harley-Davidson has two distinct problems that it needs to face head-on. The first of which is that it wants to appeal to new buyers. The second is that its traditional buyer is aging out of the motorcycle market altogether. It would seem that the Motor Company has found a...
Oct 30, 2026
America Once Planned To Send An Apollo Spacecraft To A Soviet Space Station
America Once Planned To Send An Apollo Spacecraft To A Soviet Space Station
I’d think that even casual dorks interested in humanity’s actual space programs would be aware of the very first joint mission between two spacefaring countries: the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project of 1975, where an , allowing the crews to have a famous space handshake, work together, and . What I...
Oct 30, 2026
The Golden Gate Bridge Is Horrifying Now
The Golden Gate Bridge Is Horrifying Now
San Francisco’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge was recently renovated, but something the engineers failed to take into account was the terrifyingly eerie noise the new changes would project throughout the entire Bay area. Videos taken from all over the San Francisco Bay region on social media show people responding...
Oct 30, 2026
What Do You Want To Know About The 2020 Honda Grom?
What Do You Want To Know About The 2020 Honda Grom?
Howdy bike-lopnic fans! How are you on this most glorious of days? I’m feeling pretty good right now, because this afternoon I’ll be receiving from Honda for an extended test session. I’m predisposed to like this little two-wheeler because I have commuted on small bore Hondas for years primarily...
Oct 30, 2026
Indian Has Trademarked 'EFTR' For Potential Electric Motorcycle (Updated: It's Not)
Indian Has Trademarked 'EFTR' For Potential Electric Motorcycle (Updated: It's Not)
Since the Indian name was revived by Polaris in 2011, it has been taking the fight directly to Harley-Davidson on its home big V-twin turf. In 2018 the company introduced the magnificent FTR1200 based loosely on its Scout model. I’ve logged over 1500 miles on the FTR since then,...
Oct 30, 2026
What Do You Want To Know About The 2020 Honda CB650R?
What Do You Want To Know About The 2020 Honda CB650R?
Somehow it’s already the middle of the week and here we are at the close of our Wednesday. If you’re hanging around the Jalopnik water cooler today, I hope you’re prepared to hear me talk about motorcycles. It’s time to discuss Honda’s mid-range “neo-sports café” CB650R. This is the...
Oct 30, 2026
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved